STRONG DEBUT FOR 2004 CITROEN XSARA WRC IN
NEW ZEALAND
Sébastien Loeb has put the 2004 Citroen Xsara WRC one step off the podium in its debut outing in the weekend’s (16-18 April 2004) World Rally Championship round in New Zealand and, combined with Carlos Sainz’ sixth place, Citroen added eight points to its World Rally Championship account, while Sébastien Loeb is just one point off the lead in the drivers’ title chase.
As well as working to set up a new car – Citroen had changed the suspension, engine and bodywork in the 2004 Xsara WRC – Loeb also had to cope with being the road sweeper in the opening stages.
"Once again, I have finished just off the podium,” Loeb said at the end of the event. “But the gap between me and the winner was four times bigger last year, and this time I also managed to win two stages. After paying the price on the first day, due to having to open the route, I think I drove well. It is true that we took some time to find the right set-up, but it should be remembered that with the format of the event, we can only work on the car twice per day. We have gained some more experience on this really special terrain, and we have won some points. Overall, I think we can be quite satisfied.”
Pragmatic as always, Carlos Sainz emphasised the points won by Citroën, before continuing:
"We have to understand why we are less competitive in low-grip conditions, and continue to work to solve this problem. We always hope for more, but globally, I think we successfully negotiated a difficult round. Now we will have a change of pace, with three slower rallies, which will be rougher and hotter. I hope to do as well as I did last year.”
As for team director, Guy Fréquelin, he was happy with the finish, even if the team was not on the podium.
“The first reason to be satisfied is that we have both cars at the finish, which meant we have kept in touch with our rivals in both championship classifications,” said Fréquelin after the event. “Secondly, we made noticeable progress throughout the event. The way the rally went showed, once more, the importance of having the right set-up from the very start, even more so considering the shakedown has now been reduced to two hours, allowing little time to work. We lost time at the start of the event, and then we were always trying to catch up in what was a remarkably close event!"
Overall Classification Rally New Zealand:
- P. Solberg/Ph. Mills (Subaru Impreza)4 h 02 min 29,5 s
- M. Grönholm/T. Rautiainen (Peugeot 307)+ 5,9 s
- M. Märtin/M.Park (Ford Focus)+ 25,6 s
- S. Loeb/D. Elena (Citroën Xsara)+ 1 min 05,2 s
- H. Rovanperä/R.Pietilainen (Peugeot 307)+ 2 min 23,7 s
- C. Sainz/M. Marti (Citroën Xsara)+ 3 min 08,9 s
- M. Hirvonen/J. Lehtinen (Subaru Impreza)+ 5 min 42,5 s
- D.Carlsson/M. Andersson (Peugeot 206)+ 13 min 23,8 s…/…
FIA World Manufacturers’ Rally Championship
1. Ford, 47 pts - 2. Citroën, 38 pts - 3. Peugeot, 33 pts – 4. Subaru, 31 pts – 5. Mitsubishi, 5 pts.
FIA World Drivers’ Rally Championship
1.M. Märtin, 26 pts - 2.S. Loeb, 25 points - 3. M. Grönholm, 24 pts - 4. P. Solberg, 23 pts - 5. F. Duval, 14 pts - 6. C. Sainz, 13 pts - 7. M. Hirvonen, 6 pts – 8. J. Tuohino, 5 pts - 9. H. Rovanpera, 4 pts – 10. F. Loix, 4 pts – 11. G. Panizzi, 4 pts - 12. H. Solberg, 3 pts – 13. J. Välimäki, 2 pts - 14. D. Carlsson, 2 pts – 15. O. Burri, 1 pt.
(ends)
For further information:
Citroën Australia Media Web Site:
Miles Williams
/ Tel: (02) 9558 7111General Manager / Fax: (02) 9558 7722
Citroën Australia / Mob: 0419 800 520
E-Mail:
Edward Rowe
/ Tel: (02) 9558 7111Public Relations Manager / Fax: (02) 9558 7722
Citroën Australia / Mob: 0407 913 244
E-Mail:
Web site:
EJR/ejr/007
4/19/2004